AKRON, Ohio — A double shooting in broad daylight left parents in an Akron neighborhood frightened and angry, and police looking to identify the gunman.
Shots were fired around 1 p.m. Monday near the intersection of Barbara and Virginia avenues in the Wilbeth Arlington Homes on the East Side of town.
Police believe a feud that started over social media led to a fight in person, and then someone fired multiple shots.
Lt. Michael Murphy said two men in their 20s were hit by bullets and rushed to a hospital.
"I was told one of the individuals was unfortunately shot in the face, another was shot in the torso," Murphy said.
The shooting rattled many parents who live in the complex and brought some to tears, including Carolyn Stokes. She said children like her 1-year-old son deserve better.
"We got babies out here. These little ones can't ever play like they want to outside. We got babies out here and you all are taking their freedom from them," Stokes said.
Dave Lucy, another resident of the complex, said he heard "a booming noise" and then ran outside to a chaotic scene.
"A lot of people running, and then I seen the police pull up. I heard a lot of ambulances and fire trucks and stuff," Lucy said.
Many residents were angry that the shooting happened in the middle of the day when some smaller kids were outside playing, and other kids came home to a crime scene after a school bus dropped them off.
"Why are people shooting right now?" asked parent Asia Dooley. "Like kids are about to come home and they're about to get off the the bus and catch a bullet just because y'all want to be out here stupid. It's not cool."
"A bullet ain't got no eye. We all know that. We just need to clean it up, come together and get it back right," Stokes added.
Murphy believes the gunman will eventually be identified as detectives continue to follow leads.
"It's a priority for us to apprehend that person. We do believe this to be an isolated incident," Murphy said.
In the meantime, Stokes has a message for the person who pulled the trigger and terrified a neighborhood.
"You don't care about nobody. You don't care about yourself. You don't care about your family. You don't care about nobody else. You don't care about nothing."
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the Akron Detective Bureau at 330-375-2490.
